Happy Halloween everyone! I'm trying to get Toby to let me try his ewok costume on, right now he's having none of it. If I can get him to let me put it on him for 2 minutes, I'll take a photo and post it. He didn't get the nickname "grumpy T" for nothing!Other than harassing my dog, I have been doing some work and getting ready for the trick-or-treaters. I am excited because this is my first year being home on Halloween in this house. The last two years I have been traveling. Have a spooky but safe night!

Today has been filled with lots of housework, cleaning, laundry etc. Also, packing up commission orders to send off tomorrow.Later tonight we'll go over to my parent's house and bring Toby along. He loves going there because my mom always gives him chicken. Now he gets so excited whenever we go in the car! I hope Rome is on tonight on HBO, missed it last week. I don't think TV shows should be allowed to take weeks off, just as it gets good, they take a break to wait for sweeps. ugh.

Today was my studio play day, but it took me awhile to get into the groove. I ended up working on PoppetTMSketches as a warm up and then got really into it so I made a bunch. I hope to take these with me when I teach in Ft. Collins CO next week and then if there are any left, I'll put them up on my web site for sale. Here's a sassy shoe girl that I finished up today.Then Paul and I went to Seasons 52 - his favorite restaurant. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees so we sat outside. We ended the evening by watching Scream on HBO. It is so funny to see the cell phones from 1996, HUGE!Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight!

Worked on commissions today. Here's a PoppetTM Canvas that I just finished of a little boy and his grandparents. Tomorrow is my designated studio "play day." Let's see if I can get my inner nag to leave me alone and let me have fun in the studio instead of thinking about all the other stuff on my to-do list.That's about it around here, Paul's making Martha Stewart's mac and cheese recipe tonight for dinner - super yummy!! I am a lucky girl!

It felt so good to take the art class today, we didn't get to work on anything yet, but it was was a nice change to be the student and not the teacher. It is going to be a great class -- I can tell already!Before class I met up with my friend Donna, who I know from my web designing days, also saw Lynn Whipple to drop off the self portrait journal. On the way home I stopped at JoAnn Fabrics and bought some felt, I am going to attempt to make Toby an Ewok Halloween costume, we'll see.... I am dubious about how good it will turn out. Right now he keeps growling at me whenever I try to do his "fitting."

Had my coaching appt today, with Sheri Gaynor. It was great as usual! I always feel so energized and focused afterwards.

Then worked on other stuff that needed to get done, also finished up this self portrait piece. It is part of a round robin book exchange I am in with 24 other artists. This one was in Lesley Riley's book. Yes, that's me as a little girl, I was about 6 or 7 here I think.

I am excited! Tomorrow night is my class with Donne Bitner at the Crealde Arts Center in Winter Park. I am looking forward to taking a class just for me! I'll let you know how it goes.

Catching up on work today on the computer. Tomorrow I hope to get a full studio day in, I hate it when I am away from the studio for a few days, but that computer work has to get done somehow. Got a bunch more commissions today so that was exciting!

We survived Wilma! Lots of wind and rain, but no damage as far as we can see. I am thinking of everyone on the FL coast and hoping they fared as well as we did.Wilma cleared out around 1pm our time, and after watching the wind/rain all night and feeling anxious we felt kind of flat. What to do, now that we are done looking out the window? So we went to a movie. We saw the Corpse Bride. It was very cute. I love Tim Burton. The theater had a couple roof leaks but we didn't mind, it was so nice to get out of the house.Now it's feezing here! Tomorrow is only a high of 60. Brrr. That's WINTER when you are a native Floridian.

We're all ready for Wilma. Went to Target today and got water and supplies (just incase), since we waited until the last minute it was super crowded! ugh!

Tomorrow is sure to be a boring day as we wait for Wilma blow over. We will be watching Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel, we've watched him through so many hurricanes in the past year, he feels like a member of the family. A hurricane wouldn't be a hurricane without Jim Cantore. Some phrases we are sure to hear over and over again in the next 20+ hours:feeder bands, eye wall, storm surge, hunker down, cone, conditions are deteriorating rapidly.....

Paul and I have been working on my first podcast. This one is about my Freshman year painting class and the trials and tribulations that go along with being a first year painter, and having a teacher that looks and acts just like George Carlin.click here to listen nowor use the player below:

Playing around with some of the old books I got from Manto Fev and picking out parts of sentences to inspire artwork. I love using text to change the context of an artwork. Here's a few I found, see what you can do with them!Otherwise, working on various projects to get stuff done, commissions , filling orders for sketches and such.

Also, took Toby to the vet today, he was not happy! Here's "Little T" as a paper doll project I did recently for Lark Books', Artful Paper Doll book. Doesn't he look cute!!!??

Hurricane Wilma is coming, so we decided to trim a tree that is just a touch too close to our roof. Looks like she'll be headed our way on Saturday, at least Southern FL - might miss us here in Orlando - but after last year Paul and I aren't taking any chances and getting the house ready right now!Other than that, worked on commissions today, I have quite a few for that people have ordered for holiday gifts so I need to get cracking and get them all done.

Got in an order from Manto Fev today. Love her stuff! Always perfect items for collages, Now I'm really inspired!

Paul helped me scan in a bunch of PoppetTM Sketches that I created and put them in a gallery so they are now for sale online.These are the same sketches on watercolor paper that are usually only available when I sell them at conventions. Only $35! Makes a great gift! I am excited to get them up online, something I have been meaning to do forever. I hope to be able to update with new sketches every month or so. We'll see!

Other than that, not much else getting done today, but there's always tomorrow!

I got my new return address labels in the mail today that I designed through VisaPrint. I am so happy with the way they came out! yay! OK back to work for me, then off to watch Sea of Souls on BBC America. ohhh such a good show! Spooky.

Back home today and getting my wits about me -- so much to do after being gone. Even if it's only for a few days!

Wowza the airport was crowded last night! So many people flying stand-by you would have thought it was Thanksgiving weekend! I am glad I made it home.Had a great time in Atlanta teaching the workshop. Everyone there made amazing work, and it was fun, fun fun! Now it's time to get back to the real world, have to do workshop proposals for next year, working on a PoppetTM rubberstamp line, commissions and lots of other exciting things!

I'm off to Atlanta in the morning to teach 3 workshops! I always hate leaving home but once I am on the road I feel better and ready for the adventure. This is my second to last trip of the year, next I'll be going to Ft. Collins CO November 3-5th.

Booked our flights to CHA Vegas in Jan, and also we managed to get reservations to a Cirque show for that trip. I am excited!OK back to packing and getting ready for the trip, I still have to check my bags to make sure I have all the supplies. Lot's to do!

I'll be away until Monday so I'll be back with updates and news then. Oh boy!

Today was filled with getting things done around the house.We cleaned up around here, packed up a bunch of commissions to send them off, then went to the garden center to buy more plants for our garden. I love anything that blooms, so we picked out a few new flowering plants. Hopefully they will live! Also added a new bird feeder to our back garden, it's in the shape of a sunflower -- the birds are loving it!I'm getting ready to leave on Thursday to teach a workshop in Atlanta, so not much studio work getting done, I have to get the class workbooks together and pack my bags, which is no easy feat!

Finished up another commission today of these cute little doggies standing in front of their house. I love it when I get to work with people's pets! I have a soft spot for the "fur kids".

I am so excited! I signed up for class locally at the Crealde Arts Center, with artist Donne Bitner. It starts Oct 27th. I love her work and it will be such fun to get to take a class. I am used to being a teacher, so it will be fun to be the student!

It has been raining here for days! I feel so sorry for my artist friends at the Winter Park Fall Arts Festival. My good friend Martha Lent has her artwork on the posters for that show. Tomorrow we'll spend the day out there chatting to her and seeing the art! I hope they have at least one sunny day for the show.

Today I felt more in the groove working on artwork "just for fun" but still thinking of all the business things that I have to get done! My brain never shuts up. I have been working on expanding my symbolism vocabulary but lately my newest symbol seems to be the rain cloud, it's showing up in every single piece! Gee I wonder why!

Today was my first of two "play days" in the studio. Trying to work without an assignment was hard! I am so used to working on things that just need to get done, that when I have a chance to play, I realized that I almost don't know what to do with myself. I ended up working on a bunch of backgrounds, deciding to take my own advice from my second book, that when you don't know what else to do, just work on backgrounds!I also played around on some little 5x5 canvases with an idea that I had for a series of drink coasters, then I uploaded them to my cafepress store. I think they came out really cute!I think tomorrow I'll be more in the groove for playing, today I felt so rusty! It was like play??? What's that!!??

Still working on commissions today, I have quite a few, which is really exciting! So I am working hard to get all caught up. Worked on this cute little girl along with a couple others. I got my travel information for the CHA show (Craft & Hobby Association) this Feb in Vegas. So now I have to book our tickets and whatnot. I'll be teaching a workshop there at the convention and also will be demoing in a couple booths - F+W Publications and Fredrix Canvas. Paul and I are hoping to catch a Cirque show but I hear it's hard to get tickets, we'll see!Tomorrow is my studio play day, it's been so long since I just played in the studio and had fun making my own work, that I don't even know where to start! Working on something just for fun! How can that be scary? I don't know but it is!

Today worked on commissions all day, got 4 commissions underway so feeling a little bit less stressed about all the ones I have to do. I sent one off today as well (to the right) little family portrait of the Sigel's and their kitty -- looking cute! They own a cookie company called the Golden Walnut - YUM!

Also talked to my creativity/career coach, Sheri Gaynor. She is AMAZING, keeping me on track and helping me organize my ideas. I usually feel like I have to get everything done at once and get so stressed, but she is helping me with that :)

Good TV tonight! Lost, love that show! Did you notice the jar of GOLDEN paint in the first episode this season when they first go into the hatch?!? Wonder how GOLDEN got on the desert island!? The Mysteries of Lost will never cease to amaze me.

I've been doing more web site work. I changed out my Cafe Press Store and starting adding new items, like this "there's always time to shop" clock. Still have a lot more to add but it's a start. Also working on commissions and getting things ready to send off tomorrow. Busy busy!

Barely slept last night, not even Tylenol PM could help me, my mind was racing. I hate that!Also created this "There's Always Time for TV" Clock, because I love TV! And there's good TV tonight! Desperate Housewives, then Curb Your Enthusiasm and the new HBO show Extras which is hilarious. Rome will have to wait for Monday night, thankfully HBO runs that over again in the week, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stand the choices!

Spent all day redoing my web site. Cleaned up some of the pages and re-organized sections etc. Still have more to do, but it feels good! Like a clean house!

I got all comfy in my chair ready to listen to This American Life (my favorite radio show), but our NPR station said there was a recording error so they couldn't play it. I was so sad. I love that show. Now I'll have to listen online but I just know it won't be same.

Got some leopard print tissue paper from a friend so I made a little Poppet TM sketch, here it is for your viewing pleasure, now I have leopard tissue, I know I'll be using it a lot!